t beautiful and
rich palace, which, somewhat raised above the plain, was
posted on a hill."

[Footnote 3: Each day a Queen or King was chosen to rule over the doings
of the company and determine all questions.]

As the description of the surroundings of the villa into which the gay
assembly now entered is one of the most vivid and one of the gayest
pieces of description in the brilliant counterfoil which the author has
contrived, to set off the gloom of the city, it is worth giving entire;
being as well a noble example of the prose of the 'Decameron':--

"Near to which [the balcony on which they had reposed after
their walk] having ordered to open a garden which was annexed
to the palace, being all inclosed in a wall, they entered in;
and as it appeared to them on entering to be of a marvelous
beauty altogether, they set themselves to examine it in
detail. It had within, and in many directions through it,
broad paths, straight as arrows and covered with arbors of
vine which gave indications of having that year an excellent
vintage, and they all giving out such odors to the garden,
that, mingled with those of many other things which perfumed
it, they seemed to be in the midst of all the perfumeries
that the Orient ever knew; the sides of the paths being
closed in by red and white roses and jasmine, so that not
only in the morning, but even when the sun was high, they
could wander at pleasure under fragrant and odoriferous
shade, without entanglement. How many, of what kind, and how
planted were the plants in that place, it were long to tell;
but there is nothing desirable which suits our climate which
was not there in abundance. In the midst of which (which is
not less delightful than other things that were there, but
even more so) was a meadow of the most minute herbs, and so
green that it seemed almost black, colored by a thousand
varieties of flowers, and closed around by green and living
orange and lemon trees, which, having the ripe and the young
fruit and the flowers together, gave not only grateful shade
for the eyes, but added the pleasures of their odors. In the
midst of that meadow was a fountain of the whitest marble
with marvelous sculptures. From within this, I know not
whether by a natural vein or artificial, through a figure
which stood on a co